Category Archives: Pale Ale

So from the village of Tockwith just to the west of York, my mini tour of Yorkshire breweries takes me to Pocklington to the south and east of that city, and the Brass Castle Brewery.

The bottle tells me that Brass Castle is a nano brewery and like others that I’ve acquired, Sunshine India Pale Ale is bottle conditioned (so I made a mental note to pour carefully).

This 5.7% ABV light ale is a light copper colour and pours without any discernible head (so once poured, this ale as it quietly bubbles away resembles a glass of a well-known and traditional energy drink). There’s a faintly floral and fruity aroma, and the flavour is a surprise: orange with hints of caramel, almost sweet, with a bitterness that hits the tongue only after all the other flavours have made their presence known.

This has been an interesting experience, and I’ve got three more beers to try from this small Yorkshire brewery. Can’t wait.

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Teme Valley’s This is a 3.7% ABV light ale. It’s a typical light brown colour and smells, to be honest, of very little. The flavour, as this kind of beer goes, is `ok’ – maybe a little bland. If I was drinking this in a pub by the pint, I’d probably be quite happy. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to try this again – there are so many other great beers around.

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This is another ale that I’m returning to, having previously reviewed it less than fully, though this is possibly the last time that I’ll be able to review Chiltern Brewery’s Anniversary Ale. It’s a limited edition beer, brewed in 2010 to mark the 30th anniversary of the first Chiltern Ale from the eponymous brewery, bought from a local supplier long since gone.

It claims to be a ‘champagne ale’, and the first impression is of a champagne shaped bottle that opens with a satisfying pop as a result of the plastic stopper beneath the conventional cap. The ale is obviously rather darker than champagne (a sparkling amber colour), and the aroma is floral with undertones of caramel. The head lasts extremely well, and, whether because of the age of beer or deliberately, needs to be poured with care because of the sediment that has accumulated at the bottom of the bottle. The first sip of this 6.1% ABV ale is also reminiscent of a champagne, a little biscuity with a very slightly dry and bitter flavour, but this is once again followed the sweeter notes of caramel and biscuit.

This is a very accomplished ale that absolutely stands up to the ‘champagne’ label, needs to be savoured without the distraction of food, and is an wonderfully appropriate way to celebrate a significant brewing heritage at Chiltern Brewery.

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Adnams Explorer recommends that it be served chilled, so I gave it a try. Explorer is a light coloured ale with a strong white head and a citrous aroma that’s redolent of elderflower and gratefruit. There’s a hint of burnt orange and toast about the flavour that starts out quite subtly, but blooms into a delightful richness and depth. To be honest, I’m not sure that my enjoyment was particularly enhanced by the chilling of the beer, but each to their own! It’s a beer that would work well on its own on a warm summer’s evening, or with a pizza or possibly fish.

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I wasn’t sure what to expect of Sole Star given its ABV of just 2.7%, but I think that I’m going to enjoy it rather more than I expected. The amber colour is not as light as the label led me to believe, and there’s a lively head that quickly settles. I don’t normally place a lot of store by the description of the ale printed on the label, but on this occasion it’s pretty accurate: the ale does have a floral aroma (though I personally can’t detect the promised citrus notes), and yes, there’s definitely a caramel flavour too. This is a very pleasant and satisfying beer made all the more enjoyable for knowing that it’s actually rather healthier than most ales that I review. It would go very well with almost any meal.

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My bottle of Adnams Ghost Ship had a cloudy, slightly orange colour with a head that slowly dissipates. It claims to be a ghostly pale ale, so maybe the colour is inspired by a movie called ‘The Fog’! If I’d been served a pint like this in a pub and it wasn’t a wheat beer, I’d probably ask for it to be replaced. The smell is fruity – maybe peaches and apricot, and the taste is far from unpleasant: a toasty malty flavour that’s well balanced with lemony flavours from the Citra hops. This 4.5% ABV pale ale would work well on a warm day with a ploughman’s lunch.

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Wychcraft claims to be a blonde beer, and reinforces my expectation of something quite continental by adding ‘Biere Blonde’. So it’s a little darker in colour than I had expected, but still a crystal clear light amber colour, with a head that dissipates quickly. The flavour is light and refreshing, with hints of toffee and butter. This is a beer that would go down well on a warm summer’s day with a ploughman’s lunch. Not the most characterful of Wychwood’s ales. For the record, the ABV is 4.5%.